


Something in the smoke

by TheonlyDan



Category: The Morning Show (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22451281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheonlyDan/pseuds/TheonlyDan
Summary: “Ok, so…why don’t you come on in?”Alex’s brows shot up. She didn’t know it was going to be this…easy. Bradley saw her surprise and seemed to come to her senses, but her head refused to cooperate. She only knew she couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to a damsel in distress, so she let Alex in with a small grimace.The missing scenes immediately after episode 6.
Relationships: Bradley Jackson/Alex Levy
Comments: 19
Kudos: 40





	Something in the smoke

Did Bradley tell Alex, the formidable snow-queen, that she was lovable?

The realization struck like a bucket of ice. After some tossing and turning, Bradley was officially wide-awake.

Knowing that Mitch wanted to tell her things didn’t improve her mood. Bradley turned off her phone with her lips pursed, then prepared herself for an all-nighter.

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of lovable meant _having qualities that attract affection,_ and Cambridge, _having qualities that make a person or animal easy to love_. Which was odd, because what she’d been thinking about Alex was the exact opposite of _lovable_ —far from _attractive_ , _kissable_ , or even _desirable_.

There must be something in the smoke. Bradley now hated California even more.

Staring longingly at her pillows (which seemed extra-fluffy with a fresh dent she left), the messy research papers, then the stupid pages of dictionaries on her screen, Bradley snapped her laptop shut.

“Fuck.”

She muttered, and collapsed sideways with reckless abandon, landing directly on a pile of articles.

She was so tired.

***

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Alex huffed and threw her phone away. Her mind was turned into a chaotic jumble, preventing her from sleep. Worse, even after she took a shower, the smell of something burnt lingered, grasping onto her hair and nostrils with determination. Why would it remind Alex of _her_ , who bore the same stubbornness, and always knew where to attack? There must be something in the smoke, or why was Alex seeing the brunet, doe-eyed after delivering her speech, every time she closed her eyes?

_You’re actually pretty lovable, whey you’re not acting like a wet cat._

It echoed in her ears; ironically, it was the only clear thought, loud and simple enough for Alex to decide that she needed to do something.

She sat up, and turned the lamp on by her nightstand.

Ten minutes later, still catching her breath, Alex stood in front of Bradley’s room.

It was a bad idea. Alex already knew it was a terrible idea when she was overlooking the view out of her own room. The bleak scenery reminded her she had nowhere to go. She didn’t want to be seen as roaming around when she was trying to take a walk. Not to mention her last wish was to be seen on Page Six again. Those good-for-nothing fuckers.

Throwing caution into the wind, she knocked on the wooden door, jaw set and palms sweating in her gloves. She knew Bradley had to be awake.

No one came yet, and Alex took the time to rehearse her excuse.

“Who is it!”

“It’s Alex!” She gulped, “I want—”

“Wait a minute!”

She snapped her mouth shut and obeyed. Minutes later, the door opened with a brunet rubbing her eyes. She looked exhausted.

“What the hell are you doing here? It’s half-past one!”

“Were you sleeping?”

Looking closely at Bradley, Alex found she was in the same brown top, with her makeup disheveled and hair slightly tousled.

“Yeah?”

Bradley said incredulously, a blush climbing up her cheeks. She tilted her head up to look at Alex, the defiance boosting her presence. Bradley’s sweater brought out the color of her hair, now auburn, reflecting the insufficient lemony light within the room. Alex realized why she didn’t feel irritated by her attitude—Alex found Bradley cute when she was still groggy.

“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep…” Alex was mesmerized by those eyes, completely forgetting her excuse, “I guess it must be kinda weird to, to be knocking on your door again.”

The blond shifted uncomfortably, her lips curling downwards. Bradley frowned. There must be something major that was plaguing Alex, or she wouldn’t come here with a tail between the legs.

“Ok, so…why don’t you come on in?”

Alex’s brows shot up. She didn’t know it was going to be this…easy. Bradley saw her surprise and seemed to come to her senses, but her head refused to cooperate. She only knew she couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to a damsel in distress, so she let Alex in with a small grimace.

“Wouldn’t want anything happening to you again on my watch.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alex muttered as she crash-landed on the loveseat, boneless. She took off her glasses in a lazy motion, then her gloves. Alex looked disarmingly soft like this, in a navy-blue hoodie and a pair of white-washed jeans. Bradley watched her from the corner of her eye, busying with the kettle, and decided not to push things for tonight.

“Want some coffee?”

“Ugh. They taste like piss. Don’t try.”

“Seems like you’ve been up for a while.”

“Yep.”

Bradley shrugged, feeling strangely comforted with this new companionship. After several minutes of silence, she walked over to Alex with two hotel-cups, then she sat down, startling Alex out of her blissful daze.

“Bradley I said—”

“Hot chocolate.”

She deadpanned. Alex’s glower quickly faded into a softer scowl, almost appreciative. Bradley handed the beverage over; when their fingers brushed and tangled while struggling for the handle of the cup—it was boiling hot—something happened and made the touch impossibly intimate. It filled the air with unknown tension.

“Thanks.”

Alex said quietly, not meeting Bradley’s eyes.

“How are you holdin’ up?”

She raised the cup to her lips and sipped her coffee experimentally. Yuck. Alex raised her brows with I-told-yous on her face, and Bradley rolled her eyes with a small grin.

“Ugh…I don’t want to talk about the divorce because it’s too obvious an outlet for me to, you know, blame.”

Her voice was unnaturally shrill, as if she couldn’t decide she wanted to laugh or cry or to _breathe_. Bradley shrugged, catching the frustration off of Alex.

“Well…then what should we talk about?”

Alex sipped her drink, then she blinked with surprise.

_“Yum.”_

“My secret stash.”

“Wow, a woman of secrets.”

“Actually it was just Swiss Miss. I usually pack ‘em because of…” Then Bradley raised her mug of awful coffee as proof. Alex gave her a tight grin as she adjusted her sitting posture.

“Don’t spoil it. You’re ruining the image.”

“The image of what? A perfect woman?”  
That became inappropriate soon after. Bradley’s body turned rigid, but Alex seemed unaffected.

“That’s all right…it seems that you can make it up with your…with your…”

“Cleverness?”

Alex rolled her eyes, a faint smirk crawling up her face, which meant the coast was clear. Bradley exhaled.

“What were you doing?”

Alex gestured towards her unruly bed while putting her glasses back on.

“Nothing, just, I couldn’t sleep. I prepped then I over-prepped and dozed off on a pile of papers. Maybe even drooled a little.” She raised her brows at Bradley appraisingly. “Oh, _damn_. I just destroyed my perfect image I tried so hard to build, haven’t I?”

Theatrical flair aside, Bradley wore a guarded look. Alex’s expression was indecipherable as she clutched the mug, the vapor spiraling from the mug and fogging the edge of her glasses. Alex was a very beautiful woman; looking at the blond this way for the first time ever, Bradley would admit she was very _attractive_.

One of the synonyms of lovable.

“Hmm…no. It’s quite adorable, actually.”

Pensive, Alex took another sip of her drink with leisure. Bradley’s heart started to pound loudly in her chest. What the hell were they doing?

“God…this coffee makes me wanna die.”

Bradley got up, suddenly uneasy of their proximity. She went over to the minibar and sighed a little at the collection.

Alex called from behind, “What are you having?”

“I can’t believe they don’t have any alcohol! I’m going to drink water instead. Ugh.”

Alex’s gaze trailed Bradley until she disappeared into the bathroom, presumably getting rid of her coffee in the sink.

Bradley stared at herself in the mirror, having a foreign moment of disorientation before she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. She decided to take her makeup off.

“Bradley?”

“Just a sec!” After a beat, Alex heard the door open for better communication. “Taking my face off. Sorry. I looked horrible.”

“Honey, nobody looks good two in the morning.” Bradley grinned. Ok, she may be a little paranoid. Alex teased, “Am I this good-looking to make you self-conscious?”

A loud chortle erupted from the bathroom. Moments later, Bradley joined her side with her face scrubbed-clean.

“What? Am I this unrecognizable without makeup?”

“No.”

She was looking at Bradley funny, and it made her hot and cold at the same time. Alex looked like she wanted to say something, but changed her mind at the last minute.

“You look nice with glasses.”

Bradley mentally kicked herself, then Alex gave her an intense look. As Bradley dodged the gaze, she tried to remember if she’d consumed any alcohol in the past hours. The answer was negative. Bradley realized in pain, that she was finding the wrong excuses for her feelings.

“Thanks. I’m as blind as a bat without them.”

But she found Alex’s gaze flickering to her lips. Bradley didn’t know when she had started nibbling the bottom of her lips, so she stopped.

The feeling was mutual. She found Alex kissable, too, and she knew where _kissable_ would lead.

“So, contact lenses at day?”

“Uh-huh.”

Alex drank the hot-cholate in a gulp, which must be cold by now. Bradley knew neither contact lenses nor hot chocolate was their concern.

“You have…” Bradley pointed to her mustache area, and Alex started to wipe at the unblemished skin fruitlessly. “Here, let me…” She scooched over to Alex, and the blond froze. Waiting, Alex held her breath as Bradley came closer towards her face.

Alex’s lashes fluttered when the brunet wiped the dark liquid from the upper corner down towards her mouth, the touch too soft and was almost like a caress. When she opened her eyes, she found Bradley staring, glassy-eyed with her cheeks flushed. She didn’t return to her previous seat right away.

Alex could count the freckles and tiny lines on the brunet now, before she was pulled into those unfathomable eyes, so blue that they were almost turquoise; it was when she found, that Bradley Jackson was dangerously appealing. Maybe it was part of the reasons why she felt like pushing her away in the first place.

But Bradley was not the kind of woman who gave up easily; look at them now. Alex was alone in her room, just finishing a cup of Bradley’s kindness.

Or was she just exploiting it?

Alex jerked and stood up all of a sudden that Bradley almost yelped. She watched with alarm as Alex buried her face in her palm, then she dropped her hands on both sides. She started to pace around with her fists clenched.

Then she stopped abruptly. Fear and abhorrent etched on her face, Alex shot a desperate look at Bradley.

“Am I like him?”

Bradley had to blink several times to understand what Alex was implying.

“No, god! Never!” She hurried over to the crestfallen blond, trying to stop her from going rogue. “You are not Mitch. Not in a million years.”

Alex was hyperventilating as she shook off Bradley’s hold, her movements violent in despair.

“How can I not? I came over here, trying to make things happen when all of this is just civil and peaceful, I just went and take advantage of the situation! Taking advantage of you!”

“You are not taking advantage! You’re not manipulating me! You think you’re more powerful when _you_ are the one who comes knocking on my door in the middle of the night?”

That did the trick, just like knocking someone out cold because they were struggling too hard, so it would be easier to save them from drowning. Bradley watched as Alex froze in the middle of her outburst.

“I should go.”

Jaw-set with tension in her stance, Alex didn’t meet Bradley’s gaze before she started to move towards the door.

“Wait, Alex.”

Something in Bradley’s tone stopped her. Maybe it was the tiredness or defeat, Alex couldn’t tell; she turned around and met Bradley’s gaze, expressionless.

Bradley walked towards her. Alex noted that she was bare feet the whole time. There was tenderness on the brunet’s face, which she usually hated but not tonight. Alex hated to be vulnerable, but not tonight. She just couldn’t take it anymore. The walls were closing in on her and Bradley was the only escape.

“I promise it’s ok, ok?” Just like that, Bradley dismantled the blind fumes inside of Alex. It was no magic because she was simply being honest, and for women like Alex, she knew real empathy when she saw one.

Bradley caught Alex in a crushing hug, as if she wanted to give some of her strength to the blond. With the help of tip-toeing, Bradley whispered in her ear, “It’s going to be ok.”

A sniffle barely contained, and Alex was undone. She cried silently in Bradley’s smaller frame, feeling heartbroken and fucked-up and _safe_. She wrapped her arms around the brunet tentatively, like she had forgotten how to hug somebody.

Bradley didn’t fully relax until now. No matter how different they were, nothing meant more than this instant; even the truth, the holy grail to Bradley, couldn’t compare to friendship and love.

After they detangled from each other, Alex immediately averted her gaze.

“Hey.” Bradley called softly. Alex only gazed at the ground, wiping her tears away because she couldn’t bear another moment of weakness.

“We make the best of what we have. It’s human nature.” Bradley tried to reason, and successfully attracted some of Alex’s attention. “You can be human with me.”

“I hate your human side.” Alex murmured while her face showed the exact opposite. She met Bradley’s eyes again, and it took Bradley’s breath away: Alex was looking at her with a small smile, the kind that was reserved but genuine, delicate precious like a flower surviving a torrential downpour.

“You love it.”

Bradley rasped, a small grin making its way on her face. She pressed a feather-light kiss on Alex’s jaw, feeling the smooth skin vibrating against her lips. When Bradley backed away, Alex almost wanted to lean in for more, for the warmth in transient peace.

The affection glowing in those blues was staggering; it was brighter than anything Alex had ever seen, worthier than everything she was chasing lately.

“Maybe I do.”

Then she kissed her back on the lips, unhurried and filled with unspoken devotion.

The coffee somehow tasted way better in Bradley’s mouth, but whom were they kidding? It must be something in the smoke.

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to say how great it was for episode six to end with Two Feet's I Feel Like I'm Drowning! It was so perfect when that song came up as "the hug" happened.  
> Can't wait for season 2 to happen!


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